how to squeeze in harvest with newborn baby!

Started by VTnewbee, September 20, 2010, 09:07:56 AM

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VTnewbee

I need some tips on how to squeeze in a honey harvest now that we have a newborn baby to care for!  Assuming there is some honey in the hive (haven't had a chance to check!) how can we break up the work into smaller pieces?  Last year was our first year so I'm having a hard time even remembering the steps.  I just remember it took up a whole weekend last time and I don't have that kind of time anymore. So...
1) We have an escape board, so first of all, does that need to be left on for 24 or 48 hours?  I can't remember! 
2) Once we have the supers removed, is there a way that we can just leave them for a few days or up to a week before we get to actually harvesting?  I don't have freezer space, so is there a way they can be stored otherwise? 
3) As far as the whole botulism thing goes, I know that you're never supposed to give a baby honey because of possible botulism, but here's my concern... If I have some honey on me (because I remember that it kind of gets all over) and I nurse my LO and he possibly gets a little honey residue on him, esp. his hands which inevitably end up in his mouth, is that enough to be dangerous, or do you really have to feed babies honey for it to be dangerous?  I just don't know how paranoid to be about this!

Scadsobees

Well get that baby running the extractor, that's probably safer than cutting frames! He's gotta start earning his keep now!

Congrats, by the way!

1). I'd skip the escape board and either blow them out (using a shopvac or leafblower) or use a chemical repellant (beequick is nicer than bee go!).
2). Yes, but not for too long.  You will start attracting moths and beetles if you leave them unattended for too long.  After a week I'll start seeing more tiny moth larvae.
3). Botulism is soil borne.  You are more likely to transfer the spores from digging in the dirt or handling a raw carrot or tomato than you do from the honey residue.  By the time my kids were a few months old they were sitting in the lawn and sticking all kinds of weird stuff in their mouths... :roll:  Honey is only a target because it is sweet and was popular for dipping pacifiers in or sweetening milk and food, and even then it is extremely rare.  Most botulism cases come from sources other than honey.  No paranoia necessary!

Rick
Rick

AllenF

24 hours for a bee escape.  You just don't want to give beetles a chance to ruin everything.  Crush and strain at nap time.   Let it sit for a day, and harvest your honey at the next nap time.  Infants get botulism from dirt more than honey.
nfant botulism was first recognized in 1976, and is the most common form of botulism in the United States. There are 80 - 100 diagnosed cases of infant botulism in the United States each year. Infants are susceptible to infant botulism in the first year of life, with more than 90% of cases occurring in infants younger than six months.  Infant botulism results from the ingestion of the C. botulinum spores, and subsequent colonization of the small intestine. The infant gut may be colonized when the composition of the intestinal microflora (normal flora) is insufficient to competitively inhibit the growth of C. botulinum. Medical science does not yet completely understand all factors that make an infant susceptible to C. botulinum colonization. The growth of the spores releases botulinum toxin, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream and taken throughout the body, causing paralysis by blocking the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. Typical symptoms of infant botulism include constipation, lethargy, weakness, difficulty feeding and an altered cry, often progressing to a complete descending flaccid paralysis. Although constipation is usually the first symptom of infant botulism, it is commonly overlooked.

Honey is the only known dietary reservoir of C. botulinum spores linked to infant botulism. For this reason honey should not be fed to infants less than one year of age. Due to the success of this public health message, fewer than 5% of recent infant botulism cases have been exposed to honey. The remaining 95% of infant botulism cases are thought to have acquired the spores from the natural environment. Clostridium botulinum is a ubiquitous soil-dwelling bacterium, and is found in soils throughout the US. Many infant botulism patients have been demonstrated to live near a construction site or an area of soil disturbance.  Copied from wiki

VTnewbee


Scadsobees

As to how to get it all extracted...what i've done over the last couple of years is to pull all my supers, stack them where I'm going to extract. (Couple of hours).  Then over the next week, extract as many as I can every night in a couple of hours.  It usually takes over 3 or 4 days to get it all extracted, and I don't waste the whole weekend.   And then on subsequent days clean up, finish filtering, process the cappings, etc.  I've got a puny 2frame extractor, and usually pull 15 or so supers at a time.

Rick
Rick

AliciaH

VT:  How many supers do you have on (just to get an idea of the maximum you might be collecting); where will you be setting up (is it bee proof?); and are you extracting or crush/straining?

I take over my kitchen here at home, which isn't popular with hubby, so I have to break down my process, too.  But it would be helpful to know the above before I try to suggest anything.

Congrats on the new baby!  Boy, girl?